Page 32 of Anarchy

Memories & Chaos

Jameson

Laying on the carpet, I tickle Hazel as she giggles so hard tears form in her eyes. I lift my shirt over my face, hiding it, then pull it down, “Boo,” I say as she laughs. She has the cutest laugh I’ve ever heard. Grabbing her, I snuggle her into my arms, kissing her chubby cheeks. A punch to the arm has me halting as I look up at the little guy staring at me with his hands on his hips.

“Don’t kiss her. She’s mine.” He stomps his little foot at me. I raise a brow, staring him down.

“Incorrect, Little Man. She’s my baby.” I taunt, smirking at him, and he punches me again, and I growl. “You better cut it out, Jaxon. What did Mama say about hitting?” I say as I continue to stare at him. He doesn’t back down though, which I’m pretty damn proud of.

“Mama told me not to hit unless it’s to protect me or my sister,” he says, and I nod.

“You’re right, but you don’t need to protect her from me. I’m her dad,” I say, challenging a three-year-old.

“Yes, I do. No one kisses her but me.” He stomps again.

“You better not be kissing her,” I say sternly, and he growls.

“She’s mine,” he says again, and I laugh.

“She was mine first. Now back off,” I tell him, and he huffs. “I’m proud of you for not backing down, Little Man,” I say, sticking my fist out, which he bumps.

“Can I play with her now?” he asks impatiently, and I nod.

“Yes, as long as you bring the toys in here, and remember to shut the gates so she doesn’t get hurt by the stairs,” I tell him, and he nods, running off to get them some toys.I installed some baby gates so we can keep Hazel from getting into places that are unsafe. Once I told Jade we needed to convert another room into a playroom, she agreed. So this weekend I’ll be working on turning the bar into their playroom, equipped with everything they need. I really wanted one down here, but that isn’t feasible with the layout, so we will make one for them on the second floor.

Our master suite is ready for us to move into, which means Hazel will be getting Jade’s old room, and Jaxon will stay put while the new baby will get Hazel's old room. I’d really love to buy a new house, but Jade is against it. I also promised her while she and Spade were away that I would find another security guard since the pool house is finally renovated. We just need someone to take care of the kids when needed and someone for Jade to have with her other than Gio. Hopefully, I can find someone that is good with kids and experienced with guarding a woman of power.

Today marks one year that Dario’s been gone, and it’s been one shitty fucking year. I’m not sure how the hell we survived without him. The loss of him is felt every goddamn day. Even being with Jade, it feels different in the sense that we are missing a piece of our puzzle, a piece of our soul. It fucking hurts, and I can’t shake the feeling of guilt. I’m not sure why I feel that way, but I do, and it sucks. Anything bad that happens, I feel guilt deep within my core and I can’t seem to fucking shake it. My phone pings, taking me out of my thoughts.

Taking the phone out of my pocket, I look over at Hazel real quick, sitting on the floor playing with blocks as Jaxon comes running from the stairs with more toys. He trips on the carpet and all the blocks and cars go flying as he face plants into the carpet. I laugh, and so does Hazel, but she crawls over to him, rubbing her head on his. Their bond is like no other and I love that she’s not alone and that they both have each other. I never had that when I was growing up, at least not until the guys came into my life when I was seven. But even then, they had each other, and I was the new kid invading their space.

One thing about Dario and Spade is they never made me feel like I didn’t belong. Granted, they never came over to my house to play. My mom always took me over to theirs, probably because my father was and still is a fucking piece of shit, but I was grateful for my mother giving me a normal childhood the best she could. They are the only two friends I really had. I never bonded with anyone else other than Amelia, but the guys were it for me. None of the kids at school gave me the time of day, so I just stayed by myself until I was transferred with the guys, and then it was a wrap. We were thicker than thieves. I’ll never forget the time I caught Dario getting jumped in the fifth grade by the school bully.

“Give me your lunch money, you weird-eyed prick,” Sean said as he pushed Dario to the ground. My friend got up from the concrete pavement with a look of murder in his eyes as he raised both of his fists. I whistled behind me at Reid, who was talking to a little blonde girl with pigtails by the swings. The minute the sound left my lips, his head shot over to me and I nodded at what was going on with Dario. He whispered something in the girl's ear, then ran over toward me. I look back at the scene as a few more of Sean’s friends start to circle Dario. I think to myself, ‘wrong move, boys’. Reid catches up and stops in his tracks to take in the scene.

“Look, the weird-eyed kid wants to fight,” Sean says, cracking his knuckles.

“Come on. You want my lunch money so bad, come take it from me,” Dario taunts as one kid, Ben, goes for him. He steps back as Ben swings, missing him, then slamming him into the brick wall. Then Mike jumps in and tries to tackle him, but Dario is quick on his feet. He dances around the grass, light on his feet, sending Mike flying into the back of Ben.

“Is that all you got?” He laughs, looking at Sean who lunges at him, but Dario sends two quick jabs to his faceand thenchest. Spinning, he roundhouses Sean in the stomach, and we all laugh as the school bully gets taken down by the smallest kid in our grade. Dario stands over Sean’s body, gripping his shirt by the collar, bringing his face up off the grass and punches him in the nose. The crunch echoes the small area as Sean cries out, holding his bleeding face. Dario releases him, but not before kicking him in the ribs.

“Fuck with me again and see what happens,” he warns, then wipes his hands on his jeans, walking over to us with a wicked grin on his face.A whistle is blown behind us, signaling the end of recess, and we take off to line up.

“Dario Roselli. Principal's office. Now!” Mr. Crane yells, and Dario just smiles, fist bumping us before walking into the building without a backwards glance. Me and Reid look at one another, then at Sean crying on the grass with a teacher consoling him. We laugh and head back into the school.

My phone buzzes again, taking me out of my thoughts. Opening the phone, I see I have a few missed texts and a new email. Checking my email first, I see it's an inquiry for the security position. I email him back, telling him to meet at the house in a little bit for an interview. Closing that, I open the text from Ryder.

Ryder:

I’m going to be later than expected. You good with the kids?

Me:

Yea, we’re good. Any leads?

Ryder:

Not yet. I’ll update you when I get home.

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